Submerged
by encantadaa
Summary: Based on 4 x 16 "Linchpin": Beckett makes a last-minute confession as she and Castle sink to the bottom of the river in her car. A two-shot story from a Tumblr prompt.
1. Chapter 1

_**Based on a prompt I saw on Tumblr: **"4x16. As the water rises to her chin, she whispers that she loves him." _

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><p>Her seatbelt was stuck. Her car had just been pushed into the Hudson River, and they were rapidly sinking, and she couldn't get her belt off. Damn.<p>

"I'm stuck," Kate said to Castle, trying to keep the panic from showing in her voice. Already, both of their car doors were jammed shut, and the crash had knocked her gun out of its holster. Now her belt was stuck, and if she couldn't get it undone…

"What do you mean, you're stuck?" Castle asked. God, was he stupid? She really had to elaborate on what "I'm stuck" meant?

"I mean, my belt is jammed," she said, a hint of annoyance showing in her voice. "And the seat won't move."

Castle immediately reached over and began tugging at her belt, trying to free her, but it was to no avail. Kate Beckett really was stuck in her seat, unable to move, as she and Castle slowly plummeted to the depths of the river.

"Okay, what about a knife?" Castle finally asked. "Do you have a knife?"

A glimmer of hope made its way into Kate's heart. She had a knife. "Yeah!" she answered quickly. Her heart sank as she suddenly remembered where she'd stored the knife, just this morning. "… in the trunk," she added sorrowfully, the glimmer of hope gone.

The water was filling the car rapidly, and Kate knew that she and Castle were running out of time. If they couldn't find her gun, they were as good as dead. Their only hope was to shoot out one of the windows, blast her seatbelt off, and escape out the shattered window. Castle began feeling around his seat for the gun, his hands surely freezing in the cold, murky water.

After what seemed like hours, Castle turned to Kate, a look of concern in his eyes. "I can't feel it."

He couldn't find it. This was the end. She'd never be able to tell him how she felt. Unless…

"Castle…" she started, not trying to disguise the panic in her voice anymore.

"Okay, hang on. Hang on," Castle said reassuringly, interrupting her before she could finish. He was so convinced that he could save them; that they would live. Didn't he know that not every story finished as neatly as one of his books? Couldn't he see that this was the end; that they were going to die, together, in her submerged cruiser? He was a fool. An optimistic fool.

He grabbed her flashlight, switching it on. "Just stay here," he said, diving under the water before Kate could protest. Obviously, she had no choice but to stay where she was; she was stuck. He hadn't meant it literally, though. He'd been telling her to hold on; to not lose hope; to not give up. He was still determined to save her life.

So she held on, trying her hardest to believe that Castle would find her gun and save them. He popped up for air a moment later, excitement in his voice as he said he'd found it. But it wasn't in his hand, and he dove down again.

Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe there really would be life after this crash.

But Castle didn't come up. He had been under the water for a long time, and there was no sign of him or her gun. The water was almost covering her, and she was panicked, calling out his name. She reached for him desperately, her hand swimming under the water. If they were going to die, she needed to be touching him; holding on to him. But she couldn't find him. She angrily jabbed her elbow against her window, repeatedly, but it was of no use.

She was dying—they were dying—and he'd never know how she felt. She'd been too afraid to tell him, that after all this time, after everything they'd been through together…

The water was to her chin. Kate lifted her head high, taking one last desperate, choking breath. "I love you, Castle," she whispered. "I love you."

Tears filled her eyes, but were quickly washed away by the water that now rose above her head. She placed her hands on the steering wheel of her car, in one last attempt for control, and closed her eyes as she felt herself drowning.

This was the end. And she'd waited too late.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's note: **I originally wrote this story with the intent of it being a one-shot- I even marked it as "complete." But far too many people misunderstood my intent. I meant for the story to show Kate's thought processes as the car was sinking, and it ended when she went unconscious. But I had several people message me, both here and on Tumblr, expressing their sorrow that Beckett and Castle had died. I didn't mean for them to die! I promise, that's not what I wanted to happen. With this in mind, I decided to write a part 2, so that any confusion about the living status of Beckett and Castle would be cleared up. :)_

_I also wrote this as a challenge to myself to write an entire chapter without a bit of dialogue. It was easier than I thought it would be, surprisingly._

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><p>She stood on the pavement, shivering and grateful to be alive, watching as the emergency personnel scurried about. She'd blacked out after the water had covered her, but Castle had apparently managed to find her gun, free her from her seatbelt, shatter the back window, and pull them up to the surface. She still didn't know how he'd done it—he'd been under the water for longer than she had, and she'd passed out, but he hadn't. He blamed it on adrenaline. She blamed it on the fact that he must be Superman. He had smiled at that.<p>

In reality, she knew why her breath had expired so much more quickly than Castle's had. She'd used her final breath to speak, whispering a suppressed truth to a man she knew wouldn't hear it. She hadn't cared if he could hear the words, though. Kate had thought she was dying, and with her final breath, she knew she needed to admit the truth that she'd been keeping to herself for so long; the words that had been dying to escape from her lips for what seemed like forever.

How long had it been since she first felt this way about him? Months? Years? She wasn't sure. But one thing was certain: he loved her, too. That had been his dying confession, as _she_ was dying, her blood staining the cemetery grass a bright red. She'd pretended not to hear his words that day. But the smile on his face when he'd walked into her hospital room, seeing her alive, was just as genuine as the one on his face when she'd come to today, coughing and sputtering, in his arms. He'd been the one to revive her, and she owed him her life yet again.

She'd felt too weak to get up immediately, her chest aching and body fatigued, so she let herself lay in his arms as he cradled her body against his, speaking soothingly, telling her that everything would be okay. That they'd _survived_, despite all of the odds against them, and that they _would _get out of here somehow.

_But how?_ she'd asked, her first words to speak aloud in what seemed like hours. Both of their phones had been destroyed in the water, and no one knew the two of them were here. Castle hadn't directly answered her question, instead promising again that they'd get home somehow. The man was still an optimistic fool. But he'd been right the first time; maybe he was right again.

And right he was. Just a few minutes later, they began to hear distant sirens, and finally, several police cars came into view. Someone nearby had called in a report of gunfire. When the first responders found out that Kate was a cop, they called her team. By the time Esposito, Ryan, Lanie, and Alexis arrived, Kate had regained her strength and was standing, no evidence remaining of the trauma she'd been through only minutes previously.

And now, as cops were scurrying about the pier, red and blue lights from their vehicles piercing the dark sky, Kate stood, still shivering, but feeling much better. Alexis had been thoughtful enough to bring dry clothes for both Castle and Kate, along with two steaming cups of coffee. The hot beverage was soothing, warming her from the inside, and her shivers were slowly subsiding. Her hair was still damp, drying slowly into loose, frizzy curls, just as it always did. She caught Castle sneaking looks at her hair from time to time. She thought it made her look like an idiot. He would probably say it made her look hot. She wanted to roll her eyes just thinking about it.

They discussed details of the case between themselves, wishing that they didn't have to withhold everything from Ryan and Esposito, who were both extremely curious as to exactly why someone had been so determined to kill Kate and Castle. Kate believed that it was Gage, and Castle agreed. Gage seemed like the kind of person who would go to any lengths to ensure that his rogue operations wouldn't be exposed. There was no sign of him anywhere, meaning that he'd escaped after he pushed Kate's car into the water. He probably had no idea that Kate and Castle were still alive. They had an advantage on him, for now.

But Blakely was dead, and it appeared that Gage had emptied Blakely's pockets before fleeing, taking with him any evidence that they needed to figure out exactly what Gage was working on. They had reached a dead end, and Kate knew that Sophia Turner would not be happy with them when she learned of Blakely's death.

Sure enough, when Sophia and her team pulled up to the crime scene moments later, Kate could see the anger flashing in Sophia's eyes. She ordered Kate and Castle into her car, and they grudgingly followed, wishing they could explain themselves to the surprised and confused faces watching them leave.

Once in the car, bags went over their heads, as usual. For the second time this evening, Kate's world had gone black, but this time, she was conscious, left alone with her thoughts. And for whatever reason, she was terrified. Flashbacks began to seize her, prompted by her PTSD, and she felt herself slowly begin to drown again, her store of oxygen depleting. She heard a gunshot, but it wasn't from Castle saving her life this time. It was a sniper rifle, pointed right at her heart…

She jolted awake with a gasp, breathing heavily. Damn it, Castle had probably noticed. But he said nothing, instead reaching over and feeling around, blindly, until he found her hand. He grasped it firmly, lacing his fingers between hers. Much as she hated to admit it, the touch was soothing to Kate, helping her stay grounded. She knew she was safe when she was with Castle.

The bags were finally removed from their heads when they were in the building's elevator. Castle immediately looked at her, his gaze soft, and asked if she was okay. She responded affirmatively, as she always did, with a reassuring smile. Because truthfully, she was fine. She was alive, and that was more than she could have hoped for. She knew that she could always count on the optimistic fool standing beside her to save her life, and to keep her safe.

She just wished that she had the courage to admit to him how she felt—that she loved him—when he was listening.


End file.
